I was born in Lansing, Michigan, on November 25, 1966. After graduating from Holt High School in 1984, I joined the United States Air Force. I spent 5 months in Texas completing basic training and technical school before receiving my first assignment to Charleston AFB in South Carolina. Two years later I was transferred to Grissom Air Force Base in Indiana. I had some fun and interesting experiences while in the military, like the time I was very suddenly and unexpectedly deployed in support of Operation Desert Storm. I spent a week in the Azores in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean (literally!), and then 3 months in Seville, Spain. After 8 years, achieving the rank of Sergeant (E-4), I separated from active duty. With encouragement from my husband, Kevin, I decided to make my life-long dreams of becoming a teacher a reality. I graduated from Indiana University Kokomo in the spring of 1998 with an Honors diploma in Elementary Education. After spending my first year teaching 5th grade at Lapel Elementary, I took a position at Fall Creek Elementary in the Hamilton Southeastern school district. I taught 4th grade for two years before moving to 3rd grade. During that time frame I became a mom to twin boys, Ryan and Tyler, took a year off to stay home with them, and completed my Masters degree in Elementary Education at Ball State University. I was named Fall Creek Elementary’s Teacher of the Year and Hamilton Southeastern School District’s Teacher of the Year in 2005. I was honored to be a finalist for Indiana Teacher of the Year in 2006. Following my desire to teach in the community where our family lives, I accepted a position with Noblesville Schools. I've taught 3rd grade at Noble Crossing since the building opened in August 2007. While I loved my time with HSE, I can’t imagine anywhere else I’d rather teach than Noblesville Schools! Kevin and I have been married for 28 wonderful years! He is a Chief in the Air Force at Grissom Air Reserve Base. Our sons, Ryan & Tyler (19), are getting ready to start their sophomore year at Purdue. Boiler Up! Our furry family members include Ryan's 10 year old cat, Jett. We adopted him from the Hamilton County Humane Society when he was only 4 weeks old. The students love hearing stories about this crazy cat! This past February we took in another rescue, a kitten we named Luna. She's almost a year old now. She's the sweetest! We are also big dog lovers, but sadly our 10 year old (momma's boy) Toby passed away from cancer in January. We aren't ready for another dog just yet. In my free time I love spending time with Kevin & the boys, reading, going to movies, planning & taking vacations to warm beach destinations, working out (I love my Peloton!), and doing DIY home remodeling projects.
Fun & strange facts about me: I may be the only teacher alive who dislikes chocolate, doesn't eat candy, and doesn't go to Starbucks! I also despise onions, and I have a healthy fear of sinkholes. Favorites: Hobby: Exercising & reading books/listening to audiobooks on my Kindle Store: Amazon Drink: Topo Chico Mineral Water Restaurants: Rio Grande, Ford's Garage, and Big Dog's Barbeque (Cicero)
Degrees & Certifications Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Indiana University Kokomo (1998) Masters of Arts in Education from Ball State University (2002) Noble Crossing Elementary High Ability Lead Teacher (2012-2018)